What has so many bent out of shape over abstinence education these days?  I believe it is simply the word “abstinence” itself.  It’s a negative word and negativity sells nothing.  Then top it off by adding the word “only” and you would think you have a recipe for failure.

The term itself leads many to believe that “abstinence only” education simply lectures kids, tells them to “Just say NO to sex,” and is nothing more than an attempt to preach religion in public schools.  Based on that completely inaccurate description, there are many left wing, very radical organizations with nothing more than a political agenda convincing the public that “abstinence only” education does not work – when quite the contrary is true!

Look at any study regarding teen pregnancies and abortion rates since the 1970s.  You will easily see that both exploded to the upside while comprehensive sex education was dominant in schools.  Not until the early 1990s did we begin to see them both come down year after year.  What changed?  School boards across America began replacing these failed comprehensive sex education programs with what I call “directive” abstinence programs.  Teachers were trained how to teach abstinence effectively in the classroom and they embraced these programs in droves.

So why are the doors to abstinence education suddenly closing in our schools?  Why is the federal government eliminating funding for abstinence programs in support of failed comprehensive sex education programs?

 

Two words – “abstinence only.”  Think about it.  Let’s say you are contemplating what kind of sex education is best for teens.  Your choice is between “abstinence only education” and “abstinence-based comprehensive sex education.”  Which one sounds better?  Most would quickly conclude the latter.

Let’s change the term “abstinence only education” to “directive education.”  Most would ask, “What’s that?”  Directive education is parents, teachers, and youth leaders learning how to get on a teenager’s level, meeting teenagers where they are in their culture, and directing them into making smart, healthy decisions while building respect, responsibility, maturity, discipline, and good character.

Directive education empowers teens to resist the many pressures facing them in a sex-saturated culture.  It helps teens understand and embrace a lifestyle of sexual abstinence until marriage which not only frees them from pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases, and emotional heartache 100% of the time, but offers them a happier, healthier, and more fulfilling life.  Who’s against that?  No reasonable person would be.

Now compare this to “comprehensive sex education” which teaches from a nondirective perspective.  The assumption is that teens are simply unable to abstain from sex until marriage and since “they’re going to do it anyway,” they must be shown how to protect themselves.  Teens are taught how to use every FDA approved contraceptive on the market under the fallacy of “safe sex.”  It teaches them that any kind of sexual behavior is normal and acceptable in the name of “tolerance.”  And it wants them to know that if they still get pregnant, there is a solution for that as well….it’s called abortion.

Any wonder why providers and supporters of contraception, abortion, and homosexuality so vehemently oppose directive education and so enthusiastically support comprehensive sex education?  Directive education puts them out of business.  Comprehensive sex education keeps them in business.

I have personally had the privilege of training over 60,000 educators and youth leaders in the “directive” approach to teaching abstinence in the schools and purity in the churches.  In 25 years of service, I have NEVER had a trainee tell me, “I don’t want to teach this, it will never work.”

When most parents learn what comprehensive sex educators want to teach their teens, they rightfully want no part of it.  That’s why it is imperative that parents, teachers, and youth leaders look past the terms and political slogans and look into what they actually stand for.  After all, it is the health and wellbeing of our children that is at stake.

Until next time…

M.L. Productions, Inc.